Hi All
I was asked to post how things are going so here goes.
We finally arrived on the 7th October 2006 at winnipeg airport,hubby arrived 2weeks earlier,me and the kids thought we would never get here.
Ron met us at the airport,waited ages for us to come through cos we had the animals with us,knew it was us cos the dog kicked up a fuss,she obviously didn’t like being stuck in the cage she was in,so ron knew it was us 
When we finally got out of winnipeg airport on our way to our new house,it was a glorious sunny day,we left uk in the piddling rain(nothing unusual there)
We arrived at our house we are renting for the mo,nice big house with 5acres of land,kids and dog made up so much space,the cats are still a bit wary and won’t budge out the door,couldn’t keep them in in the uk,now they have turned into 2 garfields,fat and lazy 
Well I must just say one thing,if any of your wives like me have an old uk licence and your heading this way,get a photo licence cos I had to write back to swansea to prove i had a full licence,cos i only had a paper one and they wouldn’t change it cos i had no photo.that really was the only pain in the ■■■■ i have experienced while here.
The boys have settled into school really well,they actually like it (they both hated school in the uk,being bullied didn’t help) and they are both doing well in school,their teachers are pleased with them.They are made up today cos they are off school cos of the weather,yesterday it was -27 and the windchill was in the -30s
Where we live is not far from steinbach,it only takes 10mins to get to the shops(we find the groceries quite expensive),La Broquerie is a nice litle town,with a post office and a couple of petrol stations(or should i say gas stations)which sell groceries if your stuck and can’t get into steinbach.
We have been ice skating and sledging,totally different world over here,we have made friends with an irish family, the husband came over same time as ron and his wife and family came over a week after us,it is good that we have each other while our hubbies are away,we keep each other sane or insane
Ron is enjoying his trucking,he has been all over Canada(tell a lie he hasn’t been to newfoundland and over that way he has been to quebec and back over to bc,bc had real bad weather when he was there up in the rockies) and is the US at the moment.
We have settled in really well and glad we made the move,all i have to say to anyone over there who are thinking of coming across,make sure your heart is in it,it’s no use coming over on a whim and then when you get here deciding you don’t like it and wish you where back home(i never do that).
Yeah i miss the folks back home but i talk to them on the phone, send emails and photos,which i would post on here but i don’t know how sorry(i’m no computer whizz).
we are looking forward to the summer and we can go off for drives with the kids to different places and hope we don’t come face to face with a bear,we have seen lots of deer and a bald eagle so far,we went for a drive with my brother when he was over at christmas,we took him to where we saw loads of deer,but typically he only saw one on the whole trip,ron hasn’t seen any live moose yet he has seen plenty of dead ones and he said that are bloody big things and that was lying down.
well i will let you know how we go,just going to check the school bus is definitely not running
well take care all and happy truckin
mrs rocket 
(having the life of reilly( whoever that is) here in canada
So you are advising Immigration rather than a six month project…What is Ron driving Reefers or Dryfreight…? And how long did it take him to get his CA trucking licence…?
This little tool is essential for long distance phone calls. Skype to Skype is free anywhere in the World. Skype to a land line anywhere in the world is about a penny a minute. So from your computer in CA to Mums phone in UK is a penny a minute.
And of course , if Ron has a laptop in the truck you can call each other free.Once he is in a WiFi truckstop parking area ,as most of them are in the States.
And you will need one of these.Plug in is best.
“Living the life of Riley” suggests an ideal life of prosperity and contentment, possibly living on someone else’s money, time or work. Rather than a negative freeloading or golddigging aspect, it instead implies that someone is kept or advantaged. The expression was popular in the 1880s, a time when James Whitcomb Riley’s poems depicted the comforts of a prosperous home life [1], but it could have an Irish origin: After the Riley clan consolidated its hold on County Cavan, they minted their own money, accepted as legal tender even in England. These coins, called “O’Reillys” and “Reilly’s,” became synonymous with a monied person, and a gentleman freely spending was “living on his Reillys.” 
Mrs R,
Glad everything is on the up,just to be nosey are the Irish family from the North or South 
Hi harry and big truck,
thanks harry for telling me about the life of reilly always wanted to know what that meant now i know,i suppose i am living off my hubbys wages,he’s doing all the hard work while i’m out enjoying myself(with the kids) I guess whatever works for you harry,we just up sticks and came over(well not that simply,but you know what i mean) we don’t do things by halves Ron is driving flatbeds( iam not up on the terminology of trucking sorry), Ron arrived here on the 20 sept and went for his written the following week,that is $10 each time and you just keep going till you pass,Ron said there was a lot to take in on that,then the driving test he passed first time didn’t take long,they take you out and see how you go and then just drive round and then put you in for your test. thanks for the website i will try it.
Now big truck
the family are from cork, and just to let all the people who are coming over from southern ireland,you have to redo your car test,my friend did so did her hubby aswell as his truck test,she said that was the most stressful bit so far.
well take care all and happy truckin
mrs rocket
rocket So, just to get an idea how much the ‘Driving’ tuition costs .How many sessions did Ron have to have…? With that Skype website it would probably be better to click on to the CA Skype… Wonderful luck in the New Year!!!
hi harry
ron had 3 written tests to do b4 he passed and the company paid for his driving test,they also had an orientation in a classroom as i said ron said there was an awful lot to take in that first week,(him and his mates went througha lot of painkillers for thier headaches)if your thinking of coming to manitoba it is worth a look at the mpi website,it has on there quizzes about driving,and you can download the part about driving a truck.hope that has been some help.
take care mrs rocket
Well thanks for the info but I was just comparing Ron’s ex’s for the test and the way they work over in H+R Alberta. It took a friend of mine about five weeks schooling etc. ( All of which has to be paid back in monthly installments) before he touched a pay packet…
Re; Life of Rielly… It means that you are financialy comfortable & free spending… It doesn’t mean that you are getting something for nothing. 
thanks harry,no we don’t get owt for nowt no matter where you go to live.If you want to once the permanent residence kicks in you can pay the company back if you want to leave,or just stay the two years and then leave if you wanted too.but whatever money ron earns is ours(after the bills etc)
mrs rocket
Good to hear it’s working out. 
Winter has been no existent down here so far,though a big storm is supposed to blow through the mid west this week.Stay Warm
Really glad to hear it’s going well - thanks for keeping us updated!!
Mrs Tandy was probably the one who was most eagerly waiting to hear from you - I don’t need any convincing!!
Thanks for getting us up to date, and so glad you are enjoying it all
and have setteled in, all the best and if posssible please post again later
with a another update, thanks again,
nice to read a positive post about emigrating to canada i didnt think it could be all bad cheers rocket
thanks all,will definitely keep you up to date on things,anyone thinking about it,just go for it life is too short to hmm and arr and what ifs.
take care all
mrs rocket
Hello Rocket.
My mother came to Canada from the UK in the 1950’s, and she adapted very well. She moved up to Thompson, Manitoba in the 1960’s and that’s where I was born. For her, moving to Canada was a great adventure. It was notalways easy but she has always said that the people she came to be friends with in Manitoba made her life much better. As a canadian, I also think that the people in Manitoba are friendly and very helpful.
If and when you have a problem, just ask for help and I’m sure you’ll be helped out.
Best of luck to you and your family. Don’t get discourged when things aren’t going so well. What doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.
Oh, and the weather. I have no problem with -15 or -20 as long as there’s no wind. Some days will be very cold, and those days make it good to catch up on some baking.
Hi Nicholas
thanks for that,the people are friendly here,true we will have our bad days as everyone does,but i have made a good friend here and we are always there for each other while hubbys are away,we both have the same attitude to life just get on with it and make the most of it.
as for the weather i must be getting use to it cos it was -16 yesterday after our cold days of -38 windchill -40s and i said to ron that it was warming up he was laughing and said amazing what 3 months can do cos the slightest breeze in the uk would send me reaching for my woolies.he is nice and warm in the usa, though he did get soaked tarping his load yesterday(glad we haven’t got rain yet) he will need his thermals on when he comes back up here
take care
mrs rocket or should i change my name to reilly
hello mr and mrs rocket im glad you have both settled in has ron changed his old email adress and how did he get on with the brake test and driving test also what kind of rig is he driving im sure your getting climatised as u wouldnt be use to -20 on a brisk winter morning dont let the blue skies and sunshine fool you that wind chill in n. america can really bite you on the ■■■ if not prepared im glad you have met an irish couple the old proverb is true paddy the irishman is worldwide its good to know theres irish families making the move as well as families from the uk im off to canada myself on the 16 th of january for 2 weeks i will be flying into calgary ive got a couple of interviews with some cattle haul companies us and canadian work it wont be to bad as i have distant relations in calgary and also some friends of mine from home who have also made the move across the pond ok happy new year hope everything keeps going well for the whole family
Hi scania 143 the king
glad to hear from you won’t be long now and you will be over here,at the moment ron is stuck in ontario in a snow storm,not a happy chappy.the weather here is warmer -28 yeah paddys are everywhere my parents are irish too,ron is still on his old email address though he doesn’t get much chance to go on,only certain places you can go on the internet free,so email him and he will probably catch up with his emails when he gets home.he is driving a kenworth,he said it is ok,would prefer a volvo i think,he said the brake test and written test was a balls ache as you had to learn a lot in one week.
well good luck with your interviews and dont forget your thermals
take care enjoy your 2 weeks vacation
mrs rocket
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-------HUMBUG springs to mind
steveo1 that is just your opinion,no one is asking you to come live out here,we are glad we did and many more like us.
mrs rocket